Cooking for your dog. That sounds like such a fancy schmancy thing to do, but more and more people seem to be doing it. I have lots of friends that have dogs with allergies, sensitive stomachs, and controlling what goes into their dog’s body really seems to help. We have a whippet named Neo and at least 50% of his daily diet has been comprised of homemade dog food his whole life. Though his vet checkups and blood work have always come back healthy, I’ve never been sure if my homemade dog food recipe is balanced. Cause honestly… I don’t know what I’m doing… lol. Now that he’s 10-years-old, I really want to make sure that he’s getting the right amount of vitamins he needs. Our little cutie pie has to stay around for a long, long time :)

One day I was researching (just a fancy word for googling) homemade dog food recipes and stumbled upon Just Food For Dogs. Just Food For Dogs is the world’s first dog kitchen. They have 4 locations in Southern California where they cook human grade food for dogs. You can purchase them at their stores or have it delivered to your door. The coolest option I think they offer, is that you can purchase their nutrient packets and make the exact same food they serve in your own home. John from Food For Dogs was gracious enough to send me a few complimentary packets to try. So come along with me as I shoot the process of cooking Just Food For Dogs DIY Beef and Russet Potato recipe at home.

I love cooking and I always want to learn about the history of food, different techniques, and unique recipes. Every time I see cooking classes online I always want to sign up. So when I found out that New Orleans School of Cooking was only a couple of blocks from our hotel, I knew I had to sign us up. As a matter of fact, I signed us up for two classes.

Since the school was so close to our hotel, we arrived a little early for our morning class. It was a good thing we did because there were so many fun things to look at in their little shop. Shelves and counters were filled with spices, books, jams, jellies, and even pralines they make right in the shop.

Summer is upon us and it’s time to whip out the popsicle recipes! I’ve always loved making popsicles and ever since we bought the Zoku Quick Pop Maker (Amazon affiliate link), I’ve been making them more often. Made too much fruit smoothie? Pour it in the Zoku! Have leftover coffee? In the Zoku it goes! Since the machine is so small, we always put it back into the freezer after it’s been washed. This way we can make popsicles all the time.

Lately I’ve been having coconuts on my mind. You know Summer = coconuts! Makes sense to me…lol. Well if you have coconuts on your mind and love matcha, you’ll love my Coconut Matcha Popsicles! These pops are vegan, low calorie (only 36 calories each), low carb, and they even give you a little caffeine kick.

Socha Tea had a great booth that served up speciality tea mocktails all day at Artisanal LA. What exactly are mocktails? They’re basically non alcoholic party drinks! Since I’m not really adrinker, I loved the idea of their mocktail bar.

We sampled all three flavors and my favorite was their Chamomile Peach Citrus. It was light, and so refreshing. Socha Tea Company is based in Pasadena, CA and specializes in blending high quality ingredients and natural flavors to create fun and interesting flavors.

Yesterday Jon and I attended Artisanal LA for the first time (thank you again Bradley for the free tickets) and it was SO FREAKEN FUN. We sampled everything from cookies, cakes, teas, olive oil, and even unicorn poop. We shopped for hours and met lots of artisans. We chit chatted about Comic-Con, Burning Man, roasted nuts, jams, habanero peppers, and even salt. Yes… we had conversations about salt. If you’ve got an inner hipster in you and appreciate good food and craft, you’ll definitely want to stick around for the next couple of posts. I took well over a hundred photos and I’ll be posting them this week. This way you can experience what it was like to attend Artisanal LA’s Spring Show 2014 .

As we pulled into the The Reef, also known as the LA Mart Building, we immediately saw the gigantic wooden chair in the parking lot. Since LA Mart is home to many furniture and design showrooms, I wasn’t surprised to see such a fun statement-making piece outside. According to Roadside America, this 40-foot-tall oak chair was made in Fruili, Italy. The chair was given to America after they dethroned America’s World’s Largest Chair title.

Hi it's Jen! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog :) I live in Southern California and love to travel, cook, make candles, handmade soaps, and anything DIY. If you're into any of those things, stick around :D

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Blackberries and Cream Loofah Soap ($7) is perfect for the summer. It is the scent of the juiciest and ripest blackberries with a dollop of cream. The loofah will help you exfoliate since summer is the season for shorts and sandals! #handmadesoap #summerfavorites #fruitsoap #exfoliating #prettyandperky

Easy One Pot Lasagna Soup tastes just like lasagna without all the layering or dishes! Simply brown your beef and dump in all ingredients and simmer away!

I'm really loving this gold detail at the base of the nail. My nail polish always chips so this would probably extend the life of the look! #nailpolishideas #goldnailpolish #simplenailpolishlook